Brazil boss demands improvement
Saturday, 1 July 2006 16:53Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has warned his team they must improve or they will be going home tonight.
Parreira's men take on France in Frankfurt with a World Cup semi-final place up for grabs.
Brazil have cruised into the last eight in Germany but will be tested against the 1998 winners.
Parreira said: 'If we don't give a leap in quality we will be going home. Our rivals are no ordinary team, they were world champions.'
Les Bleus struggled in the group stages after draws against Switzerland and South Korea and they only scraped through following a victory over Togo.
However, Parreira believes that Les Bleus' convincing 3-1 triumph against Spain in the second round will have given their rivals confidence.
'I think France have grown as the tournament has progressed,' said Parreira. They have shown their quality at the right time.'
However, Parreira is confident his team can handle France, who beat them 3-0 in the 1998 final in Paris.
'We know what awaits us,' he said. 'They are in no hurry to play their game, they play with a certain calmness and suddenly explode with a fast manoeuvre which usually comes from (Thierry) Henry.
'The great virtue of French football is their technique.'
Parreira is hopeful that his team show their true colours tonight.
He added: 'Brazil has no option but to play well. We have to play good football if we want to knock France out of the competition.'
